“We’re hopeful the Legislature will extend additional school-choice options through independent charters and private schools,” says former Republican Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, now a lobbyist for the American Federation for Children.

“We’re talking with legislators about a lot of things,” adds Jensen, who declined to comment on specific proposals. But, he says, “We’re optimistic.”

In a December meeting with school superintendents and business managers from around the state, Assembly Education Committee Chair Steve Kestell (R-Sheboygan) told the group they can expect to see an expansion of private-school vouchers and the revival of a controversial special-education voucher bill, as well as a new push for state-authorized charter schools that operate independently of local school boards.

And in November, Walker gave a speech at the Ronald Reagan Library in which he emphasized his commitment to school choice, including charter and virtual schools: “Every child — no matter what ZIP code they come from, no matter what their parents’ background — every child in my state and in this country should have the opportunity to have access to world-class education.”

It’s a popular Republican refrain. As Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a recent speech at the Brookings Institution: “I think there is a moral imperative that it’s not right that only wealthy parents get to decide where their kids go to school.

“If you are a low-income parent residing in an urban area in America, it is more likely than not your child attends a failing school,” he added. “And, unless you are fortunate enough to live in New Orleans, or Milwaukee, or Cleveland, you have no options, no recourse.”

School choice is shaping up to be a national Republican theme in the coming year. And Wisconsin is at the center of it.

. In a July 2011 move supported by Finch and Gov. Dan Malloy, majorities of the Bridgeport school board and the Connecticut state board of education voted for the state to replace the Bridgeport board with its own appointees. Those included business leaders from outside the city. In February 2012, the Connecticut Supreme Court overrode the takeover, restoring Bridgeport school board elections and forcing a September 2012 special election to replace the replacements. Last summer, Mayor Finch and his allies launched a push to pass a November 2012 charter referendum that would once again end school board elections.

Joshua Thompson, Finch’s director of education and youth, defended the unsuccessful effort, saying the mayor was following the recommendations of “a report handed back to him” by a charter commission that was based on testimony by academics and “major reformers” like former New York City schools chief Joel Klein. “It seemed to be the best way to move school reform that’s deserving of our children,” Thompson told Salon. He said that maintaining an elected school board “would almost be perpetuating the definition of insanity” because it has shown an “inability to carry out what’s necessary for our children.” Thompson added that “taking the politics out” was “a catalyst” for reforms elsewhere.

Many critics of such reforms agree that they’re more likely to advance in the absence of elected school boards. “The reason people want mayoral control is they want more privatization faster,” former assistant U.S. secretary of education Diane Ravitch told Salon. “And the best way to get more privatization is to have only one person to deal with and to not have to listen to a board of education.”

“What we’ve seen in the past few years,” said Ravitch, “is that where there’s mayoral control, the mayor turns to the business community, and the business community wants privatization.”

In the weeks before the election, “the mayor and the corporate community pulled out every stop,” said Jonathan Pelto, a former Connecticut state legislator who’s consulted for unions. Pelto noted that the referendum effort received support from Michael Bloomberg, major businesses and former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee’s Students First. Sacramento Mayor (and Rhee’s husband) Kevin Johnson came to Bridgeport to stump for the measure. (Students First did not respond to Salon’s request for comment.)

Get ready Wisconsin, convicted felon Scooter Jensen wants to profit from OUR public education dollars and the Wisconsin republicans(who are in power) are only too willing to hand them our money.

Pay Attention.

The democrats can not stop them but YOU can! Tell your reps to stop stealing from public education, call them, tell your friends and neighbors, write LTE, etc…